Northeast Ohio has experienced one heatwave so far with a six-day run of temperatures over 90 degrees, but heatwaves in the region likely won’t become commonplace, according to experts.
Temperatures exceeded 90 degrees starting on June 17 with a high of 96 degrees. The heatwave lasted through June 22 with a high of 95 degrees.
Climate change and global warming are not yet leading to rising summer temperatures in Northeast Ohio, said Robert LaPlante, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. It took specific conditions, like the direction the wind is blowing to bring the heatwave on.
"The heat is coming from the southwest., ... and it's usually 10 or 15 mile-an-hour wind," he said. "Really the lake breeze is too weak to overcome ... the strength of the wind from the south and those situations typically."
The region's dry spring also contributed to the heat, LaPlante said. Rainfall has been down over the last month, which can lead to hotter temperatures. But he says he doesn’t expect another heatwave in the short term.
“Instead of evaporating rainfall, moisture, it's just heating up the earth, and then that heats the ground, heats the air near the earth more than it would be normally," he said. "So when you get these dry spells in the Spring... the high temperatures can be higher."
The National Weather Service defines a heatwave as two or more days of high temperatures. For a Northeast Ohio summer, temperatures need to reach 90 degrees or more.
“Here in the eastern states, it's probably 90 degrees, but if you're out in the southwestern part of the U.S., it's probably temperatures over 100,” LaPlante said. “So, it is somewhat subjective.”
The dry conditions mean parts of Northeast Ohio are experiencing the early stage of drought, LaPlante said. That could affect plant growth for gardeners and farmers.
“This is the best time of year for the corn to grow,” he said “There's some areas [that] may be behind on that because it's been dry this Spring. It's not good for the farmers if the plants get stunted or slow, and then they've got to worry more about the weather in the fall.”
The threat of consistent heatwaves in the region is still unlikely, he added, but the National Weather Service rolled out a daily HeatRisk index to keep the public informed on temperature and health conditions presented by heat exposure.
